I’ve set up a new Facebook Page where you can follow the stories and podcasts.

I’d really appreciate it if you could head on over and “Like” the Applied Karate Facebook Page.

I’m enjoying a new parody show that is available on YouTube called Enter The Dojo.

The show follows the instructor and students at a fictitious dojo of a fictitious style called Ameri-Do-Te.

Enter The Dojo is of course a parody, but enjoy. Its good for us to take a look sometime at the idiocy sometimes propagated, and perhaps the preconceptions people might have about the martial arts.

The fabulous Mikka Bouzu online comics follow the adventures of a budoka seeking enlightenment through the study of martial arts. He perseveres through hard and soft and is a bit of a hapless seeker.

Sometimes I see a bit of myself in this character.

Especially when it comes to the role that gadgetry plays in his quest.

I’m sure my wife and I have had that conversation.

Make sure you pop over and subscribe to the Mikka Bouzu webfeed.

Patrick McCarthy, Hanshi (guest in Episode 1 of The Applied Karate Show) has posted a short (3 minute) video introduction to the International Ryukyu Karate Research Society, a style-agnostic society of karateka interested in researching the foundations of Okinawan karate.

I’ve been a member of the IRKRS for many years now, and can thoroughly recommend membership in the Society for all interested in learning more about the origins and foundations of the arts they study.

Doing the rounds on the web at the moment is the wonderful Mikka Bouzu series of comics about a martial arts student travelling the path.

I think I identify with this one….

Greetings and welcome to The Essential Karate Blog, and the associated newsletter.

My name is Des Paroz, and I am a long time practitioner of a style of karate called Shorinjiryu, founded by Shinan Kori Hisataka (1907–1988).  Over the years, I have had the fortune to live and train in Japan, and also to train in dojos in Japan, Okinawa, the USA, Spain, Switzerland and my native Australia.

Along the way, I’ve had a strong personal interest in karate’s histories, traditions, philosophies and personalities, as well as of course the techniques and applications.

I am also a strong believer in the concept of Shin Gi Tai – the development of mind, technique and body.  In this regard, I am an advocate of strength and conditioning for martial artists, particularly using the kettlebell.

In this blog, newsletter I hope to share some of my experiences and opinions in karate, kobudo and kettlebell practice, so that others may read, consider, debate and challenge those.  I believe that through this we can all learn.

I have a small karate dojo in Sydney, Australia (the Kengokai Dojo), and am a member of Shorinjiryu Kenyukai Watanabe Ha Karate Australia.

I should also mention that I am the host and producer of a podcast called The Applied Karate Show, another vehicle which explores similar themes.  In that podcast, I have the good fortune to talk with a variety of people far more knowledgeable than I about karate and related arts.

Please feel free to comment on any of the topics. I look forward to any discussion and feedback.

Our web feed can be found at http://feeds.feedburner.com/EssentialKarate.

Nice post over at Total Karate on Karate Fads.

Having seen all those things come and go I realised the same old art is still sitting there letting the fashions and fads wash over it like waves at the beach.

There is a nice discussion on fads like “pressure points”, “bunkai” and “underlying principles”.

Nice sum up as well

There is no need to “train for this” or “train for that”. Training for itself and for your own purpose is good enough.